Atomizing means



Nov. 29, 1927 F B Con/HNS ATOMIZING MEANS Filed Aug. "7.v 1925,

reame Nov. 29, i921.

UNITED -STATES PATENT` OFFCE.

FBANK`UGOMIN S, F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN MOISTEN- ING COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CGBPORATION GIF MAINE.

ATOMIZING MEANS.

Appiicauon sied August 7, 1923. serial No. 656,242.

rlhis invention relates to atomizing means. More particularly it relates to an improved fog generator for a centrifugal humidifier. ln such machines water is delivered to the surface of a rotor which films and throws it by centrifugal forceA against fixed impact plates distributed about the edge of the rotor. The impact against these plates breaks up the'film into minute particles which may either float away like a fog or, as is most common, be forciblyexpelled from the humidifier by a blast of air provided for that purpose.

Spatter plates or fog generators to be most efiicient should serve a double function. rlhey must not only cause pulverization of the liquid, but they must entrap the larger particles which are too heavy for the air 4to carry 4until complete absorption, for, if

" such particles are permitted to leave the humidifier casing, they soon settle upon whatever is below and become a source of annoyance to persons, and of damage to property, upon which they fall. It is to reduce y this evil that many such humidifiers heretofore built have had to be provided with huge projecting pans to catch 'the shower of drops that would otherwise fall into the room.

It is accordingly an aim of the present invention to provide plates, which shall primarily break up the liquid film into as ne particles asis possible, and which shallsecondarily entrap and eliminate, from the fog generated, such over-large globules as do occur, and conduct them out of the zone of the air blast. And withal it is a feature to provide these plates in a form that is economical to make and easy to assemble in series, en which series may be incorporated in the humidier as single or multiple rows as desired.

The individual plates are'made by stamping a washer-like ring from thin sheet metal a and then in the saine stamping operation, or by a subsequent cutting, dividing 'these rings into semi-annular pieces. The latter are then mounted, with their plane surfaces parallel, upon and preferably perpendicular to abinder or base rod which when installed has the form of a circle of slightly larger diameter than that of the, delivery edge of the rotor. p. This base vrod/'is held by platelegs a short distanceabove the pan or botv tom of the V`humidifier casing, to provide Space Afor drainage, and may be provided with a reinforcing strip having notches for positioning and steadying the impact plates, which are secured to the rod near one of their diametrical edges so that the greater portion of each is upstanding from the rod, in direction away from the panl of the casing. They may be set with their thin edges radially toward the rotor, or may be inclined thereto to make any angle desired to the direction of flight of the liquid film as it leaves the rotor. in the embodiment shown the impact plates or blades are set radially, with their outside circular edges toward the rotor. lhey might be reversed to have their inner circular edges toward. the rotor; but for ordinary uses the arrangement illustrated is preferable. 'lhe Plates and rotor may be relatively positioned with the edge of the latter at, above, or below the middle ofthev plates, but it has been found desirable to nave the film strike the plates a little above their centers against the upper half of their flat surfaces. At the moment of impact the liquid is pulverized, the finest and lightest particles immediately floating outward and upward from the plates, and being picked up and carried. along by the air current. 'lne heavier particlesrebound from the plate which forms them, in directions oute5 ward and somewhat upwardv which bring them for the most part against the upper portions of the next adjacent plates of the series which curve outward and upward across their rebound path. Since they strike such a plate on the side opposite to that against which -the film is being delivered, they are not blown or knocked olf but either rebound again, in smaller fragments, or run down that side of the plate and drop to the pan where they drain away harmlessly. If desired -another circular row of impact plates may be arranged outside of the row which is next to the rotors edge, in staggered relation to the plates of the first row. 100 Such a secondary line of plates aids further in the elemination of the heavy particles and also spatters any portion of the film which passes through the spaces in the inner row. The double arrangementl is an improvement '105 over the impact plates heretofore made entirely circular, as separate-washers, or that 'A form in which a continuous helical thin strip has been mounted upon a base rod. This improvement makes a portion of a plate in the no outer row more effective in pulverizing the film, because nearer to the rotor; and it places the ortion of the outer plate against which the eavy particles strike at a greater distance from their place of formation, in a position to more surely entrap them in their` rebound.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, b suitable expression in the ap ended caims, whatever features of patentab e novv elt existin the invention disclosed.

the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows, in elevation, and partly in section, humidifying apparatus embodying the improved fog generator of the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of a portion on a larger scale, showing the details of a single row of the improved spatter plates;

Figure 3 is a plan thereof;

Figure 4 is a view like Figure 2, but showing a double row of spatter plates; and

Figure 5 is a lan of the saine.

Referring to t e drawings, the humidifier comprises a rotor 10 to the under side of which water is delivered by any suitable means from a well 12 fed by the supply pipe 14, and by which rotor the water is filmed and thrown centrifugally outward against a series of impact plates 16 which cause it to break up into line particles. These particles float in air and so form a fog which is distributed from the apparatus by a blast of air generated in the upper portion of the humidifier and driven downward and outward past the impact plates. A motor 18 propels the shaft on which both the air fan and the rotor are' mounted.

The impact plates individually are 'half round flat pieces, which may be stam ed from sheet metal at minimum cost. ear one end, the outer curved edge 16a' of each plate is fastened to a base rod 18, as by soldering, and to hold them more securely they may also be set into notches of, and. be soldered to, a thin iin 20 provided on the rod. As shown the plates are arranged with their at sides para] outer peripheral edges 16* radially toward the axis of the rotor, but this positioning may be varied as desired to set the blades at any angle to the direction of Hight of the film from the rotors edge. The base rod and iin are supported a short distance above the pan bottom-22 by plate legs 24 so that any water iiowing down the pan will not be obstructed.

In operation the rotor is'adjusted so that the film strikes the fiat sides of the plates a little above` the middle. Upon im act the film is broken up and the liquid p verized into minute particles which for the most art are picked up by the air current, w 'ch driven downward by a fan casing 19, is deflected by the top surface of the rotor tween the el, and with their longer andA through the upper rtion of the spaces belates. 'n practice, it is found that in striking the plates, a number of heavy, large particles of li uid are formed, which should be eliminate from the fo stream before it leaves the humidifier an enters the surrounding atmosphere. As the -liquid strikes the 'flat side of a plate the Those which rebound downward and outward in the general direction of arrow 2 do the saine, for the force of the air current just ahead of ythe plates is substantiall above the center thereof and does not ic up the particles falling downward. T ose that ily upward and inward over the rotor in the general direction of arrow 3 into the very teeth of the air blast, are borne away by it or are driven back against the plates and their ulverization completed. Those heavy particles which rebound outward and upward in the eneral direction of arrow 4 are the ones w ich ordinarily are carried outside of the casing byy the air current,

whence they fall upon whatever is below. It is these particular heavy particles which must be entra ped, and the present invention accomplis es this by providing a barrier in their path close by their place of formation. That is, the upper portion 16b of one impact plate, as it curves outward and up ward from the rotors edge, crosses the path of those articles which in their rebound tend to y upward and outward. When these heavy articles strike the side of the next plate, w ich faces opposite to that side against which the film is ori ally im inging, they may adhere thereto ong enou lli for them to run down Athe plate out of t e air draft whence they ultimately drop from the base rod into the pan. This extension part of the impact plate therefore constitutes an eliminator plate.

Where it is desired to use a particularly strong blast for dri-ving the humidied air some distance away from the humidifier, there may be provided a second row of eliminator plates 116 as shown in Figures 4 and 5, just outside .the row that is next to the rotors edge. This outer row is a duplicate of the inner one and functions in like manner. Preferably it is arranged with its blades opposite the spaces of the inner row (.Figure 5) to present obstacles to any portion of the film dodgin through the inner spaces. These outer p stes also catch any large particles driven outward too fast to impinge on the upper portions 16" of the inner row so that even in e. high duty blast, the humidied air is discharged practically free of oversized globules.

lll

scribed, or may be used in cocperation with any of the types of impact bla es now on the market.

I claim as my invention:

1. rlhe combination, with a centrifugal liquid-bearing rotor, of a series 'of fog gen-r erating semi-annular im act elements surroundlng 1t, agalnst which the liquid 1mpinges; the said elements being arranged' and adapted for their impact surfaces, at different elevations, to be progressively more remote from the rotors edge. v

2. The combination, With a centrifugal liquid-bearing rotor, of a series of fog generating semi-annular impact elements surrounding it, against which the liquid impinges, arranged with the convex edges of their semi-annular surfaces toward the rotor.

The combination with a centrifugalv liquid-bearing rotor, of a series of impact l elements surrounding it, each having a semiannular flat surface against which the liquid impinges, arranged with" the middle of its curvature adjacent to the rotor and with its curvature extending thence t'o both sides of the plane of the rotor and outwardvfrom the rotor in a .radial plane thereof.

4. The combination with a centrifugal liquid-bearing" rotor, of a series of impact elements surrounding it, each of semi-annular flat shape, against which the liquid impinges, mounted at one of its ends and curving from said mounting inward toward the edge of the rotor, past it and thence outward from it. t

`5. The combination, with a centrifugal liquid-bearing rotor, of a series of impact elements arranged close together around its edge, each said element havin a portion extending progressively from t e plane of im act-thereon of liquid from vthe rotor, an progressivel outward, from the axis of the rotor, where y heavy particles ilying in.

direction away from said rotor are entrapped.

6.' The combination, with` a centrifugal liquid-bearing rotor, of a series of impact elements arranged close together in rows around its edge with an open space between the said rows; the elements of one row being arranged close to the rotors edge and constituting surfaces for initial impact of liquid, and the elements of the other row being set back of the said initial impact elements and adapted to permit escape to .atmosphere of fine particles of liquid but to arrest heavy particles and .prevent their escape, as such, into the said, atmosphere.

7. The combination, with a centrifugal liquid-bearing rotor, of a'series of im act elements arranged close together aroun its edge, each element having a semifannular flat surface, against which liquid from the rotor impinges, arranged with respect to said rotor so that the liquid strikes its said flat surface substantially midway of its annular extent.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this eleventh day of Apri1,1l923.

RANK B. coMINs. 

